1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to microwave ovens and more specifically to the air circulation system for such an oven.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microwave ovens designed for home and commercial use in heating food items require a carefully designed and constructed cabinet structure enclosing the cooking cavity in order to ensure uniform heating throughout the cavity and to avoid leakage of microwave radiation. Since the operator of such an oven must have easy access to the interior of the cavity, a door with a transparent window is generally provided on the front side of the cavity.
It is known in microwave ovens to provide an air circulation system to provide a cooling for various electrical components such as the power transformer and the magnetron and then to direct the air through the cooking cavity to a discharge region. Air inlets below the power transformer and on the back of the cabinet are known and exhaust outlets at the front of the oven for air that has been circulated through a microwave oven are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,860,026 and 3,818,171.
The basic idea of splitting an air stream that is being circulated through a microwave oven is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,643 which is assigned to Whirlpool Corporation, the assignee of the present application.